"New research suggests that a malfunctioning mirror-neuron system could be behind the social isolation of autism."

"Imitation appears to be the primary function of mirror neurons. People without working mirror neurons would need to analyze a movement before attempting to copy it, while those with a working mirror system can do so automatically. In line with this theory, a decade of research has shown that people with autism tend to have difficulty imitating others, especially when those movements are complex, says Tager-Flusberg." 12-05.

" 'There's no research to show that people with Asperger's are more prone to act violently,' Laugeson said. 'We do know that people with Asperger's have a lower threshold for handling frustrations, but there's no research connecting premeditated acts or plans of violence.' "

"It's important to emphasize that their anger makes them more frustrated, but not more likely to commit crimes, Bell added."

" 'There is essentially no research that has linked autism or Asperger's to violence,' he emphasized. 'People with autism or Asperger's are no more inclined to commit crimes of violence like what took place in Connecticut last week.' " Visitors sometimes misspell as Asberger, Asburger, Aspurger, Ashpurger, Aspurgher, Haspurger, Ashburger, Asburgher, or Hasburger. 9-01

Provides a definition. "Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of 'improper parenting'." Visitors sometimes misspell as Asberger, Asburger, Aspurger, Ashpurger, Aspurgher, Haspurger, Ashburger, Asburgher, or Hasburger. 02-06

"Jacob, called " 'Jake,' her then 3-year-old, had recently stopped talking and had been diagnosed with autism. One day, she dropped him off at a gymnastics class, and, when she returned to pick him up, Barnett, 36, says she found all the other students sitting in a circle, while Jake was curled up and cowering in a corner."

"When Jake was 8, he jumped from fifth grade to college after teaching himself all the high school math classes -- calculus, algebra, geometry and trigonometry -- in one week and testing at college-level mathematics, Barnett recalls."

"Recently, the boy has embarked on his own expanded version of Einstein's theory of relativity. Barnett sent a video of his theory to the renowned Institute for Advanced Study near Princeton University." 04-11

"Independent experts working on her ongoing appeal said that the traces of DNA used to convict Knox may have been contaminated and are 'unreliable.' "

"With the DNA evidence excluded, the only substantiation of Knox's guilt includes a possibly coerced confession and her bizarre behavior after being arrested. But could those two things have the same explanation? Is it possible that Knox has an underlying condition  Asperger's syndrome, a less severe form of autism  that caused both her unusual social behavior and a gullibility that triggered a false confession?" 04-11

"Although some autistic people function extremely well (the livestock expert Temple Grandin has helped change her field), others affected by the disorder need lifelong care for basic needs. The change will likely cause considerable debate, however, since the diagnosis is a requirement for access to some of the educational and social services that make up this care, and its not clear yet how the change in definition will affect such eligibility in the future." 12-12

"As posited by Henry and Kamila Markram of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the theory suggests that the fundamental problem in autism-spectrum disorders is not a social deficiency but, rather, a hypersensitivity to experience, which includes an overwhelming fear response." 11-13

"More than one in 500 children have some form of autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control. All autistic children suffer from an impaired ability to communicate and relate to others, but some of them are able to socially interact to a greater degree than their peers. A recent study of a group of these so-called high functioning autistics suggests the neurological basis for their social impairment."

"Neuroscientist Mirella Dapretto of the University of California Los Angeles and her colleagues surveyed the brains of 10 autistic children and an equal number of nonautistic children as they watched and imitated 80 different faces displaying either anger, fear, happiness, sadness or no emotion."

"The autistic children differed from their peers in only one respect: each showed reduced activity in the pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus--a brain region located near the temple."

"Inhabitants of the virtual world 'Brigadoon' mingle together at one of the island's meeting places. The online game offers people with Asperger Syndrome an opportunity to practice their social skills." 10-06

"IThe diagnostic category of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills. Parents may note symptoms as early as infancy, although the typical age of onset is before 3 years of age. Symptoms may include problems with using and understanding language; difficulty relating to people, objects, and events; unusual play with toys and other objects; difficulty with changes in routine or familiar surroundings, and repetitive body movements or behavior patterns. Autism (a developmental brain disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication skills, and a limited range of activities and interests) is the most characteristic and best studied PDD. Other types of PDD include Asperger's Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Rett's Syndrome. Children with PDD vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviors. Some children do not speak at all, others speak in limited phrases or conversations, and some have relatively normal language development. Repetitive play skills and limited social skills are generally evident. Unusual responses to sensory information, such as loud noises and lights, are also common." 05-09

"Adding Asperger's syndrome to the autism spectrum, eliminating the terms 'substance abuse' and 'dependence' in favor of 'addiction and related disorders,' introducing the condition 'hypersexual disorder' and introducing an assessment of mental illness based on severity are among the proposed changes for the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-5). 02-10

"Valerie Gaus, a clinical psychologist in private practice on Long Island, has worked with adolescents and adults with autism for more than 15 years. Her new book, Living Well on the Spectrum, offers practical advice on coping with the high-functioning form of autism known as Asperger syndrome; affected people typically show passionate intellectual obsessions, oversensitivity to sensory experiences like bright lights and loud noises, and poor social skills." 04-11

"A new study finds that children with autism spectrum disorders are bullied far more often than their typically developing peers  nearly five times as often  but parents of autistic kids think the rate is even higher than that." 09-10